Equipped for a subterranean life, the Southeastern Pocket Gopher's muscular front legs, thick-set front body, massive claws on its front feet, small eyes and ears, and incisors protruding beyond the lips are obvious adaptations to life in dark, snug spaces fashioned in loose soil. Fur-lined cheek pouches are the grocery bags this mammal uses to transport food from the source to its burrow system. These burrowers can be a nuisance when they dig into lawns and orchards. Efforts to control them include trapping and poisoning. They pile up a mound of sandy soil when they close the openings to their burrows, giving rise to the common name "sandy mounder." Another common name, "salamander," may be a contraction of "sandy mounder." People in its range use the name "gopher" for another animal, the gopher tortoise.